How Do Espresso Coffee Beans Differ From Blue Mountain No. 1?

Blue Mountain No. 1 is a single-origin coffee built on the Typica variety, usually brewed by pour-over. Espresso coffee beans are most often a blend, though single-origin lots work too, ground fine and pushed through an espresso machine under high pressure to make a concentrated shot. That contrast in origin, variety and brewing method is the core of the comparison.

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 comes from Clifton Farm in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, grown at roughly 1,310 meters, within the 1,000 to 1,700 meter belt required for the name. Typica arrived there from Martinique in the 1720s. Blends such as Front Street Warm Sun are instead built and dialed in for espresso extraction.

Many coffee enthusiasts wonder: what exactly is the difference between Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee and espresso? In short, Blue Mountain No. 1 is a single-origin coffee bean, using the Typica variety (with Geisha added in 2020), usually extracted by pour-over; whereas espresso mostly uses a blend (single-origin beans can also be used), extracting a concentrated liquid quickly under the high pressure of an espresso machine. This article will systematically review the origin background, variety characteristics, processing method evolution and brewing parameters of Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1, while also explaining in detail the definition of espresso, the formula and extraction standards of Front Street Warm Sun Blend, helping readers fully understand the essential differences between the two types of coffee and their respective flavor characteristics.

A friend asked Front Street, what is the difference between Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee and Front Street espresso? The core difference is: Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 is a single-origin coffee bean, using the Typica variety (Geisha was also introduced in 2020), generally extracted by pour

What is Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee?

Not all coffee grown in the Blue Mountain region can bear the Blue Mountain name. The Blue Mountain range is located in the eastern part of the island of Jamaica, and only coffee produced at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters qualifies as authentic Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee.

The three Blue Mountain coffees currently offered by Front Street all come from Clifton Farm, which began coffee cultivation and production around the mid-eighteenth century (around 1750). The farm's cultivation and processing areas sit at an average elevation of about 4300 feet (1310.64 meters). Sufficient altitude, gentle afternoon cloud cover shading the hills, abundant sunlight, and mineral-rich soil create a superior growing environment for the coffee trees and also lengthen the ripening cycle of the coffee cherries.

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Variety

The most traditional Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee uses the Typica variety. Blue Mountain Typica was introduced to the Jamaica Blue Mountains from Martinique in the 1720s. After more than 200 years, it has developed relatively strong disease resistance, especially better resistance to coffee berry disease than ordinary Typica. However, once Blue Mountain Typica leaves the 1000–1700 meter growing belt, it can no longer reproduce its unique traits of clean sweetness and delicate aroma.

In 2020, Clifton Farm introduced Front Street Blue Mountain Geisha Coffee. When people mention Geisha, they often first think of rich floral aromas, but this characteristic can only fully develop above 1500 meters. Clifton Estate sits at only 1310 meters, and Front Street's cupping assessment concluded that the floral aroma produced here is not as pronounced as expected, with only a slight white floral note; what comes through more is the signature balance of Blue Mountain coffee, with florality not playing the leading role.

Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Before 2019, Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee used only washed processing. The greatest advantage of the washed method is that the coffee as a whole is extremely clean, and the strengths and weaknesses of a bean are most easily revealed under washed processing. Since 2019, Clifton Farm has begun reforming and innovating, launching sun-dried Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee. The washed Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee presents a highly balanced profile of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, while the sun-dried version shows a richer juicy quality and acidity. Each processing method has its own advantages, and there is no distinction of superior or inferior.

How to Brew Front Street Blue Mountain Coffee?

Front Street demonstrates brewing with the most traditional washed Blue Mountain Typica coffee. Parameters: 15 grams of coffee grounds, powder-to-water ratio 1:13 (coffee-to-liquid ratio about 1:11), water temperature 88°C, grind size based on a 60% pass rate with a No. 20 standard sieve.

Brewing technique: First bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then slowly pour 100 grams of water in a small stream in circular motions from the center outward; at this point the digital scale should read 130 grams. When the coffee bed drops to the halfway point, pour in another 65 grams of water in a larger stream, bringing the total water amount to 195 grams. After all the coffee liquid in the dripper has flowed into the server, remove the dripper and the extraction is complete. Total brewing time is 1 minute 52 seconds.

Brewed flavor of washed Front Street Blue Mountain Typica Coffee: Clean mouthfeel, with chocolate and nutty flavors, and a balanced level of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.

What is Espresso?

Espresso comes from Italy and is coffee extracted quickly under high pressure. A traditional single shot of espresso has a volume of about one ounce. Espresso consists of three parts: crema, body, and heart.

What coffee beans does Front Street use for espresso?

When making espresso, FrontStreet Coffee uses Front Street Warm Sun Blend coffee beans. A blend is made by mixing multiple coffee beans in different proportions, and after adjustment it can give originally single-origin coffees a distinctive character. The espresso blend currently used by FrontStreet Coffee consists of 30% Front Street Ethiopian sun-dried Red Cherry coffee beans and 70% Front Street Honduras whisky barrel-fermented Sherry coffee beans. The biggest feature of this bean is that the extracted espresso has soft fruity acidity and a whisky aroma.

How does FrontStreet Coffee extract espresso?

Coffee machine: Pegasus E98 espresso machine

Pressure: 9 bar ± 2

Temperature: 90.5–96°C

Time: 20–30 seconds

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7–1:2

Dose: 12 grams (single espresso) / 20 grams (double espresso)

Extraction yield: 20 ml (single) / 40 ml (double)

Extracted flavor of Front Street Warm Sun Blend coffee beans: noticeable fruity acidity, accompanied by a faint berry aroma, rich whisky and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.